you put energy as a topic, absolutely right. shale, oil, there is abundant energy coming. getting it out puts people to work and might make us a net energy exporter again. it makes manufacturing more attractive, energy is cheaper, jobs are starting to come back to the united states. we are on the threshold of very good news for america and the world. it will validate our economic and political systems. but we have got to get past the political gridlock and deal with this deficit and debt issue and show that we can make that hard decision. if we do, then these other things will kick in. >> ok, let's go to the middle east. two issues that have been in the news a lot, iran being won -- and you have written a lot about what you think is the best approach. and then there is the issue of syria. police say some words about what you see as the next step. how do we see that unfolding? what is the way forward with syria? >> three things. one, you know, the arab spring turned out to be less spring. a better term is the arab awakening. it is going to take a long time. look, it was ine